Schapiro Spring Foursomes | English Bridge Union

29th April – 3rd May 2022, venue TBC

The current classic format of double-elimination teams with side-events for eliminated teams will be largely followed, but this year teams will be allowed to have up to eight players, although only six may play in any one match. This is to help teams that may be playing in other conflicting online teams events. It is also likely that there will be some short round-robins in the early stages of the event to determine seeding for Round 3 onwards, depending on the number of teams entering.

Welcome to the Schapiro Spring Foursomes!

The Spring Fours is one of the great events in the English calendar. The principal event the Schapiro Trophy has become one of the toughest events in domestic bridge. It is run on double-elimination lines over nine sessions each of 32 boards. A secondary event, the Punchbowl, will be open to teams eliminated before Saturday evening. It has a round-robin qualifier followed by a mini knockout. The Hamilton Cup is a more relaxed event for teams seeking a game on Monday (bank holiday in England).

Due to the generous sponsorship arrangement in place for this event, prizes are approximately twice the normal EBU value (e.g. approx £1,600 - £2,000 for the winning team based on the typical size of the original entries). We wish to express our gratitude to Mrs Helen Schapiro in supporting this most prestigious event in this way, and in donating a trophy in the name of her husband, the late, and truly great, Boris Schapiro. It is part of the Championship Series, in which points can be earned towards the Player of the Year Championship.

To enter

The easiest way to enter is online through My EBU. Log-in and select 'Book Events' from the Utilities menu. You can also call 01296 317203 or email comps@ebu.co.uk. Late entries will only be accepted if they assist the schedule.

Congress Prices

The prices for our online congresses and competitions are significantly lower than they would have been face to face (about 20% less), but reflect the fact that green-pointed events always attract a premium.

We have been working hard to keep bridge going over the last 18 months, but with the pandemic still affecting everything, we also need to work hard to keep the EBU going financially. Despite taking advantage of all government support that has been available, making a number of staff redundant and cutting costs everywhere we can, we will still be using our reserves at an unsustainable rate. With the furlough scheme coming to an end shortly this will only get worse.

Competitions are one way of raising the money necessary for the EBU's survival and we will be following this pricing strategy for all our online congresses and major competitions.

Holders

2021

Schapiro Trophy: Boye Brogeland, Simon Gillis, Fredrik Helness, Tor Helness, Espen Lindqvist & Erik Saelensminde

Punchbowl: Richard Fedrick, Andrew Southwell, Paul Fegarty, Catherine Curtis & Mike Scoltock

Hamilton Cup: Stephen Peterkin, Sam Punch, Paul Gipson, Alex Gipson, Mike Ash & Bob Ferrariwin

Timetable
Day	Times	Description
Friday 29th April	3.15pm	Session 1 - 32-board matches or initial round-robins
Saturday 30th - Monday 2nd May	10.30am and 3.15pm	Sessions 2-7 - 32-board matches
Monday 2nd May	10.30am	Punchbowl and Hamilton Cup (Swiss Teams)
Tuesday 3rd May	10.30am and 3.15pm	Schapiro Semi-Final and Final

Details of the timetable may be subject to change

Entry Fees
The EBU reserves the right to close entry at 48 teams
Full Event	£420 per team
Hamilton Cup only	£60 per team

Entry fees are per player and should be made in advance. The fees above are for 2021, and may change for 2022

Entries close on Friday 22nd April 2022 at noon

Master Points

All events are fully Green Pointed. Awards in the main event reflect its prestigious nature.

Agreements

Level 5 agreements are permitted in all events.

Please can you email your Convention Card in the correct format (WBF and EBU cards are both allowed in this event) to EBUConventionCards@gmail.com. We will send you a link to a pdf version which you can then provide at the table for your opponents.

Venue and Tariff

The venue for 2022 is still to be confirmed

Why play?

Well mainly because, in our opinion, it is the best teams event on the EBU calendar! Spanning five days, you get a lot of bridge for your money and a great experience to boot. This is what one of our members said about it: "As a life-long underperformer, I revelled in the chance of playing in this event. Seeds don't enter the Gold Cup until round 3, so I thought I would never face off against the world's best. At the Spring Foursomes, though, I had a great chance of losing to the likes of Zia Mahmood, Andrew Robson and David Burn. Maybe I'll be losing to your team this year!" -Edgar Dolittle, Tunbridge Wells